Surviving the Treadmill

Triathlon Packing List and Prep

Surviving the Treadmill

The poor treadmill gets such a bad rap. I’ve learned to actually enjoy some treadmill time. Here are some of the ways I beat the ‘dread’mill boredom.

1. Entertainment!!! If I don’t have some sort of entertainment, you will not find me on the treadmill. We have a mill in our basement and luckily we were able to rig a TV up right in front of it. So TV is my first choice. My favorite shows to watch while running are Biggest Loser (how can you not be motivated to run!?!?) or Bachelor/Bachelorette type shows. I figure I can justify watching those shows if I’m working out.2. Sometimes if there isn’t anything on TV, I’ll watch YouTube videos on our Ipad. You know I love beauty guru videos but I also like to watch music videos. I’ll put on an upbeat music video and then do a sprint or up the incline for the length of the song.3. Use the treadmill presets. I know most treadmills have some sort of built in programs. It might take a little time to figure them out but I really like using the cardio setting on our mill. It is about a 20 minute program that has intervals and hills throughout and then I don’t have to think about changing the speed/incline.
Also, I recommend searching for treadmill workouts on Pinterest, you’ll find tons4. Mix in weights or other exercises. If I want to switch it up a bit, I’ll run for 5 minutes and then do some push-ups, bicep curls, or squats. The idea is just to break up the treadmill running. Plus, I tend to push myself to run a little bit faster since I know it will just be for short spurts.5. Find a challenge that excites you. My go to’s are intervals (I like to sprint a minute, walk a minute, repeat) or seeing how fast I can run a mile. Then I can keep track and try to beat myself the next time I hit the treadmill.
Dexter lays right by the treadmill wishing we were running outside every single time…. poor pup.

Triathlon Packing List and Prep

Last Saturday, Derek and I participated in the Three Rivers Triathlon. This race is actually the first triathlon I ever did back in 2010. I was pretty happy to see that I improved my time by 8 minutes! (I think a lot of that had to do with using a nicer bike.) I am not competitive by any means but I enjoy completing races just for the feeling of accomplishment. Plus having a race on the calendar keeps me motivated to keep running, swimming, and biking.

I think some triathletes can be a little intimidating with super fancy bikes and aerodynamic helmets but there are always a variety of ages, sizes, and abilities. The majority of the participants in this triathlon were older than us. I usually do pretty well in the swim (I was a swimmer in high school) and then am passed a lot on the bike and run. Everyone’s age was marked on their calf so I always check out the age of whoever is passing me. I hope to be passing people in their 30s when I’m in my 50s and 60s!
I think one of the hardest parts of doing a triathlon is the prep. So much stuff!!! I always consult a list and run through it a couple of times. It helps to separate it by each leg – swim, bike, and run. I think I managed to remember everything this time.